Posts Tagged ‘Spaceport Authority’

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES – Squeezing in a stop here while en route to London, Virgin Galactic’s president and CEO told spaceport officials Tuesday that the company remains committed to basing its suborbital flight operations in New Mexico.

George Whitesides addressed the new board of directors of Spaceport America for the first time since an abrupt change in spaceport leadership that was carried out by Gov. Susana Martinez. It was also the first session attended by Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson, hired last week by the board.

“The primary message we wanted to share, and the reason I’m here is to express a desire to continue to be a strong partner with the spaceport for the taxpayers of New Mexico,” Whitesides said. “We are all making a very big investment together.”

While addressing the board, Whitesides noted the state is planning to spend about $200 million in constructing the spaceport and said Virgin Galactic is “investing somewhere on the order of $400 million to develop its spaceflight vehicles.” “These are nontrivial investments,” he said. “We take this project very seriously at all levels. And the relationship between our organization and the state and particularly the Spaceport Authority and staff is going to be of critical importance as we drive to successful commercial operations over the coming years.”

Whitesides, a former chief of staff for NASA, was hired last year as CEO for Virgin Galactic, considered the spaceport’s anchor tenant company. This year, he was named president, too.

Spaceport board Chairman Rick Holdridge of Deming said he invited Whitesides to the board’s meeting during a teleconference soon after Anderson was hired on Feb. 28, and, “to his credit, he made it happen.” Holdridge said he didn’t pick up any new message Tuesday. “I very much appreciated his commitment to this new board,” he said. “They’re reiterating the commitment Virgin Galactic has to New Mexico in the form of having operations out of New Mexico.”

Virgin Galactic has signed a 20-year agreement with the state, committing to launch suborbital spaceflights from Spaceport America in southeastern Sierra County. Whitesides said the company is “very encouraged with the progress of Spaceport America.”

Construction of the $209 million spaceport is about 70 to 80 percent complete, Chad Rabon, a spaceport staff member, told the board Tuesday.

Martinez didn’t waste time making spaceport leadership changes upon taking office Jan. 1. She called for the resignations of the previous board, appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson, and former Director Rick Homans. The board was reappointed in February, but the abruptness of the change and the fact the agency was without a director or deputy director had stirred concern among some spaceport advocates. Martinez confirmed that at one point, billionaire Richard Branson – who heads Virgin Group, the parent company of Virgin Galactic – called and asked her to retain Homans as director.

Holdridge said he met Whitesides once before, when he flew in for a visit with him and state Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela. That was not long after Holdridge was appointed to the chairman post.

Branson said during a visit to the spaceport last fall that the company was expecting to launch its first suborbital flights from Spaceport America between mid-summer of this year and spring of 2012.

Tuesday, Whitesides said the company’s flight test program is progressing, but “we still have a ways to go.” Virgin Galactic plans to use a two-vehicle system, comprised of a carrier plane and a rocket-powered spaceship, to carry passengers to suborbital space.

In all, the carrier plane, WhiteKnightTwo, has completed 49 flights, Whitesides told the spaceport board. The spaceship’s rocket motor is being developed, but glide testing, in which the vehicle is carried aloft and released, is continuing, he said. “We’ve got four glide tests of the spaceship successfully completed,” he said. “A fifth will be coming up soon.”

Holdridge said Whitesides flew to the Las Cruces airport Tuesday morning on a charter plane, and then left from El Paso on his way to London.

Anderson was present at Tuesday’s meeting but deferred most presentations to spaceport staff, saying she’s still catching up to speed on the spaceport project. All but one member of the spaceport board were present in person at the meeting, held at New Mexico State University’s main campus. Board member Scott Krahling, also a Dona Ana County commissioner, didn’t attend because a county commission meeting was held at the same time.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.

Release courtesy of the Governor’s Office

SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez announced today that she has made appointments to all positions on the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors. The appointments come as the Martinez administration continues to review all boards and commissions to make necessary adjustments and ensure that New Mexico’s taxpayers receive the best possible return on their investment. Each member has agreed not to conduct business with the Spaceport for two years after leaving their position on the board.

“I believe that with the right leadership and the right approach, the Spaceport can be a successful venture that brings jobs to New Mexico,” said Governor Martinez. “New Mexico’s taxpayers have made a significant investment in the Spaceport project. It’s time to see the project through to completion by bringing in private funding. In order to let taxpayers know that their government will operate in an open and honest manner, I have also asked each board member to make a commitment that they will not conduct business with the Spaceport for two years after their tenure on the board ends. I look forward to working with the new board members to ensure that we responsibly develop the Spaceport to its full potential, bring new jobs into New Mexico, and give taxpayers a healthy return on their investment.”

The members of the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors are listed below.

•        Chairman Richard Holdridge is a retired Air Force officer from Deming whose military service included a heavy focus on satellite program acquisition and overseeing the manufacturing, planning, and operation of United States Department of Defense satellite programs. After retiring from the Air Force, Holdridge was elected to the Deming City Council, where he served from 1998 to 2000. He currently manages his family’s real estate development and farming businesses in southern New Mexico. Holdridge earned his B.S. in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, his M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Dayton, and his PhD in Astronautical Engineering from Stanford University.

•        Irvin Diamond is a Certified Public Accountant and a Senior Principal at REDW Stanley Financial Advisers in Albuquerque. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and chairs the Board of Directors at Amerinst Insurance Group. Diamond holds degrees from John Carroll University and the University of New Mexico.

•        Sid Gutierrez is a former NASA astronaut who currently serves as Director of ES&H and Emergency Management as well as Chief of Safety for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. Gutierrez piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1991 and served as Mission Commander for the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1994. He also served on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and International Space Station Management and Cost Evaluation Taskforce. Gutierrez earned his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and his M.A. in Personnel Management from Webster University.

•        Jerry Stagner is the President of Citizens Bank in Truth or Consequences. He also served as President of State National Bank and has an extensive background in the banking field. Stagner holds a B.B.A from Eastern New Mexico University. He previously served as a member of the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.

•        David Buchholtz is an attorney at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP in Albuquerque. His practice includes government finance law, economic development and state tax incentive law, financial institutions law, securities law, and corporate law. Buchholtz has been a private practice attorney since 1976. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Think New Mexico and also served as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico Law School. He earned his B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

•        Scott Krahling is a marketing consultant from Las Cruces who specializes in developing and implementing marketing plans for small businesses and real estate clients in Dona Ana County. Krahling also serves as a member of the Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners. He holds a B.A in Government and Journalism & Mass Communications from New Mexico State University.

•        Benjamin Woods serves as the Senior Vice President for External Relations and Chief of Staff at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, managing the Office of Government Relations as well as the University Communications and Marketing Services in that capacity. Woods has served as an administrator at NMSU since 1987, working in multiple fields for the university, including Planning, Physical Resources, and University Relations. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and earned his M.B.A from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Woods previously chaired the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.

Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

Rick Homans

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES – Spaceport America Director Rick Homans announced his resignation Wednesday, saying he’d been ordered to do so by the Gov. Susana Martinez administration.

Some Spaceport America board members expressed concern about Martinez’s move and questioned whether Homans’ departure was good for the $209 million spaceport project as it goes through a key stage.

An emotional Homans read a lengthy resignation statement, saying he was committed to the project and hoped to stay longer.

“While I have embraced this project, it is clear that Gov. Martinez is not embracing me,” he said, during an emergency meeting of the Spaceport Authority board in Las Cruces. “I understand politics, and I also understand how critical it is for her to have absolute trust and confidence in the executive leadership of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.”

Homans, 54, said he was informed last Thursday to resign or be fired. He said he told the Martinez administration that he’d take up the matter Wednesday with the board, which has official power over hiring and firing the executive director.

Jon Barela – Martinez’s economic development secretary nominee who’ll also chair the spaceport board – didn’t attend the meeting. But Barela’s spokeswoman, Angela Heisel, said later that Martinez has asked for the resignations of all political appointees from the Gov. Bill Richardson administration.

“This is no different than what was asked of other political appointees,” she said. “Homans’ resignation will not disrupt the construction of the spaceport; the construction team remains in place and is continuing its work.”

Heisel said a search for a replacement director is under way.

Two members of the seven-person board – Jerry Stagner and Gary Whitehead, both Truth or Consequences businessmen – voted against accepting Homans’ resignation, while other members voted in favor.

Whitehead said he realizes this is the first gubernatorial changeover in the spaceport’s existence, but “as a board member, I’d really envisioned a smoother transition as we move forward with the spaceport and our new administration.

“I know we’ll work through it, and we’re certainly in a gray area,” he said. “It would have been my wish we would have seen an extension of Mr. Homans’ contract or his job to allow a smoother transition.”

The first suborbital spaceflights are expected to launch later this year from Spaceport America.

Some officials pointed out the spaceport project is in a critical stage, attempting to transition from a big construction project to an active hub for commercial aerospace activities. Finishing construction and attracting industry are the next important steps, they said.

Homans said the first phase of construction, which includes the spaceport terminal-hangar and a 10,000-foot runway, is about 80 percent finished.

But a second construction phase that was added last year is only beginning.

Board member Casey Luna of Belen pointed out he’s been involved with planning for a New Mexico spaceport since 1991 and said he’s concerned that “we’re skipping a beat here.” But the project survived a previous “hiccup,” after the resignation last year of former director Steve Landeene, he said.

Luna said he believes that’s possible again.

“I’m hoping the governor is aware that continuity is very, very important,” he said. The spaceport “will be a good thing for the state in general and this country.”

Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, an eighth, non-voting member of the spaceport board, did attend Wednesday’s session by phone, though didn’t say much.

Board members thanked Homans and outgoing board member and chairman Ben Woods.

Spaceport board members also said they were unsure of whether Martinez will allow them to serve out their terms. And, they said they hadn’t been told how to move forward in hiring a new director.

Said Whitehead: “It’s a time like this where we’re really not sure where we stand as leaders. And it feels like we’ve been put on hold, so I remained concerned about that.”

Homans, in his statement, said for the spaceport to succeed, Martinez must “become its biggest champion and rally her administration to support this effort.”

“Nothing short of complete commitment from Gov. Martinez and her administration will allow this project to achieve its full potential, which is the promise we made to the citizens of New Mexico …,” he said. “My hope is that Gov. Martinez can quickly move beyond viewing Spaceport America as the legacy project of Bill Richardson.”

Homans said instead, the project should become “her own legacy” because she’ll be governor when it first opens.

Homans, who earned $170,000 annually, said the resignation is effective at the close of business Friday. He said he started a search for a new job Wednesday.

Homans was hired as executive director in June, after Landeene resigned because of a controversy involving a possible conflict of interest. Before that, Homans was chairman of the spaceport board from 2005 to 2007 because of his job as head of the state’s Economic Development Department. Also, he was briefly the executive director in 2007, before leaving for a job in private industry.

Spaceport America is located in southeastern Sierra County.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.

Article Courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

Spaceport America officials met Wednesday to formally accept the resignation of Spaceport Authority Director Steve Landeene.

After a closed-door meeting, they also appointed board Chairman Fred Mondragon, based in Santa Fe, to act as executive director until a replacement is named. Mondragon, also state economic development secretary, said he’ll spend two to three days a week in Las Cruces or Truth or Consequences while in the role.

The board granted another of its members, Ben Woods, who’s also a New Mexico State University official, authority to sign documents on Mondragon’s behalf, if Mondragon isn’t able to. Woods said the board will meet again within the next week or two to decide its next steps.

Landeene, 47, served as executive director since January 2008. The Economic Development Department announced his resignation in a news release Friday. Landeene has cited family reasons as the motivation for his decision.

Landeene earns $155,546 annually, said Michael Moxey, spokesman for the New Mexico Economic Development Department. He’ll be paid through May 14, though officials have said he’s only working in an advisory capacity until then.

Spaceport Authority board members Kent Evans and Woods were physically present at the meeting, while members Toots Green of Alamogordo, James Manatt of Roswell, Casey Luna of Belen and Gary White of Truth or Consequences attended by phone.

The spaceport authority oversees the state-owned Spaceport America, a $198 million future launch site for commercial space vehicles that’s under-construction in southeastern Sierra County.